Caitlin Clark made seven 3-pointers, equaled a career high with 30 points and made enough of her free throws down the stretch to help the Indiana Fever hold on for an 85-83 victory over the winless Washington Mystics on Friday night.
Clark easily had the most 3-pointers of her young career and made three of her four free throws late. She missed the last one, and the ball was knocked out of bounds as the Mystics (0-11) tried to rush up the court. That gave Washington one last chance with 1.4 seconds left, but the Mystics couldn’t get a shot off in time.
Clark had eight rebounds and six assists in perhaps her best all-around game so far. She went 8-of-15 from the field with four steals, although turnovers (eight) were an issue again for the former Iowa star.
Indiana (3-9) was coming off a four-day layoff after a grueling start to the season that included 11 games in 20 days. This time it was Washington that was put to the test, playing the second night of a back-to-back.
Indiana led 82-80 when Aliyah Boston missed two free throws with 25.6 seconds remaining, giving Washington a chance to tie. Ariel Atkins missed a driving attempt, however, and the ball went out of bounds. The Mystics then had to foul, and Clark made two free throws for a four-point lead.
